Astounding Africa: Your time has comeThe distant echo of South Africa has become a thunderous roar

Tripoto
Photo of Astounding Africa: Your time has comeThe distant echo of South Africa has become a thunderous roar by Linda Ballou
Photo of Astounding Africa: Your time has comeThe distant echo of South Africa has become a thunderous roar by Linda Ballou

The distant echo of South Africa has become a thunderous roar, and I am thrilled to announce I am heeding the call and going on safari in May! Not just any quickie, surface-deep safari, but total immersion with Overseas Adventure Travel’s “Ultimate 17-day Safari.” We will travel as a small group  to conservation-minded Botswana; less-traveled Zimbabwe where I will partake of an elephant-back safari near Victoria Falls, the largest curtain of water in the world; and to Zambia for  incredible wildlife viewing while canoeing the mighty Zambezi River.

This magical adventure promises to fulfill all my African fantasies and leave me with memories that will lift and carry me over mountains and oceans and plains for years to come. If you, too, have been dreaming about going on safari in Africa, wake up and start packing; your time has arrived! Lower fuel costs mean flights are half of what they were a year ago.

May is regarded as the perfect time to go as the rainy season has ended and the cool, dry, sunny days of winter have begun. The Okavango Delta in Botswana is home to over 400 species of birds and to the world’s most endangered species of large mammal. The Delta’s water level is high enough to float in a dug-out canoe, or mokoro, with your guide. Avoiding hippos lolling in the shallow waters will be the challenge. I have wanted to experience this Delta since meeting a world-traveler in Costa Rica who insisted it was not to be missed.

Botswana tours are more pricy than those in Kenya or Tanzania because of logistics and restrictions on tour numbers. OAT travel pricing is extremely competitive. They ensure small group sizes and they do not charge a punishing single supplement. Accommodations are comfortable lodges and high-end tent camps. There are a few spots left for the Ultimate Safari, but they are going fast.

Poster-child for conservation in Africa
Photo of Botswana, Botswana by Linda Ballou
Zambezi River draws a huge concentration of wildlife
Photo of Zambia by Linda Ballou